Relief and Worries

It has been a relief to finish with all the canning and most of the preservation. I enjoyed it and there was a certain sense of pride involved in the making as well as being happy to be able to provide produce for our table over the winter when it tends to be more expensive. It took up a lot of time and energy though, so I am glad to be done for the season, except for a small batch of mushrooms to dehydrate here and there.

I wanted to take a picture of the pantry now that I am through because it is an interesting mix of store-bought and home-canned food. The problem is that the pantry is in the front room, the only place we had space for it, and the door is slightly blocked by the computer desk. It won't open all the way so lighting and placement of the camera is awkward at best. Oh well.

Total accumulation of preserved foods (not counting items given away as gifts or already eaten): 5 quarts Pears in Lite Syrup, 6 half-pint and 1 pint Ginger Pear Preserves, 4 pints Apple Butter, 3 half-pints of Plums in Lite Syrup, 14 pints and 1 quart of Cinnamon Red Hot Apple Wedges, 21 half-pints and 8 pints of Blackberry Preserves, 5 half-pints of Blackberry Dessert Sauce, 7 quarts of Stewed Tomatoes, 7 quarts of Apple Pie Filling, 5 quarts of Apple Sauce, 10 quarts of Blackberries for Baking, 2 half-pints of Green Beans, and 1 pint of Dilly Beans. The Green Beans and Dilly Beans were a gift from my sister for helping her out with her canning.

As well as the canned items there are still two batches of Pear Fruit Leather and a gallon bag of cinnamon apple wedges that I dehydrated. In addition I have a small jar of dried green beans and also some dehydrated mushrooms that Ryan's dad went out into the woods and picked for us. We would have had more fruit leather and apple wedges but hey, they were very good. Edit: Plus a small jar of dehydrated zucchini to use in casseroles. The zucchini came from Ryan's sister.

I am worried that I have not found a job yet and that Ryan is still laid-off from work himself. It makes money tight. In the end, God provides, I know. But I am human, and can't seem to stop worrying. I have 4 applications around town at various places. Surely something will come of them. I continue to check the Employment Office and the Help Wanted section of the local newspaper. Ryan does the same, not trusting that his old job will be available again soon. We should be OK, but I dislike having to scrimp, especially around the holidays.

We tend to be frugal people anyway, but it is hard. Thank God for our small garden, and the gardens and orchards of friends and family! Without them the bounty of preserved food wouldn't have come into being.

All in all, we are blessed. We have a roof over our heads, food for our table, clothes for our bodies, family, and each other. I will stop complaining! Enough for today. I think I will go and pick the last of the green tomatoes off the remaining plant in the garden. I don't think the weather is going to cooperate long enough to finish ripening the rest. Maybe I can bread and fry them or make green tomato preserves (to keep in the refrigerator, not can *grin*).